multifamily

adjective

mul·​ti·​fam·​i·​ly ˌməl-tē-ˈfam-lē 

-ˌtī-, 

-ˈfa-mə-lē

: involving or common to more than one family

a multifamily home

In contrast to single-family housing, where residents typically pay directly based on the amount of water used, there are several models for billing multifamily residents …

—Elizabeth A. Wentz et al.

Examples of multifamily in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

States from Massachusetts to California are passing laws targeting restrictive zoning regulations that for decades prohibited building multifamily developments and contributed to housing shortages. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 14 Nov. 2025

The city only handles trash collection from single-family homes and multifamily complexes with four units or less. —David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Nov. 2025

New single-family home construction is down, along with multifamily and home repair. —Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 5 Nov. 2025

What the development could look like Green Brick Partners wants to build single-family homes on 505 acres and multifamily homes on 45 acres. —Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for multifamily

• family
• nonfamily
• stepfamily
• subfamily